Speed-indicator.



S. L. BENNETT.

SPEED INDICATOR.- APPLICATION man one, 1911.

Patented May 21,1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL LESLIE BENNETT, 0F BELLOWS FALLS, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO THE VERMONT FARM MACHINE COMPANY, OF BELLOWS FALLS, VERMONT, A CORPORATION OF VERMONT.

SPEED-INDICATOR.

Application filed October 6, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL Lnsnm BEN- NETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bellows Falls, in the county of Windham and State of Vermont, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Speed-Indicators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a rotary machine with an audible signal or indicator, which will aid the operator in running the machine at the desired speed, by sounding when the speed is less than the desired speed or the speed necessary to obtain the greatest efliciency in the operation of the machine.

Without thereby limiting the invention, I have herein shown the same applied to a centrifugal cream separator mechanism, adapted to be operated by hand, and in which a bell is used as the audible signal or indicator, which is rung or sounded only when the s eed falls below the desired speed for most e 'ciently separating cream.

Cream separators may be geared for most effective work to any desired speed, within given limits, and hence the mechanism of the present invention will be so designed and arranged as to sound the alarm whenever the speed is below whatever is the predetermined or normal speed, and to cease sounding when the normal speed is reached or exceeded; a speed in excess of normal if not too great being negligible and quite obvious to any one familiar with the operation of the machine and watching its product.

The invention consists of an arm pivoted to a member of the gearing and subject to centrifugal action, and a bell or other audible signal interposed in the path or are of movement of the arm in such way that the arm when carried at a speed below normal will sound the bell and thus indicate to the operator that a normal speed is not attained; and by centrifugal action will fly out of the path of contact with the bell-actuating means and thus permit the bell to remain silent for the time being or as long as the normal speed or a speed more or less in excess thereof is continued, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly deslgnated, Figure 1 is an elevation showing the crank Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

Serial No. 195,068.

and crank shaft, a portion of a centrifugal cream separator bowl and its spindle, and interposed gearing, with the speed indicator in position, the bell-actuating arm being out of contact with the bell. Fig. 2 is a similar elevation of the signaling mechanism alone with the bell-actuating arm in position to sound the alarm. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bell-actuating arm detached. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bell hammer and its lever detached.

1 is a hand crank mounted on shaft 2, to turn the same, and 3 is a gear wheel on said shaft meshing with a gear wheel 4 on the shaft 5 on which is an intermediate gear wheel 6 which meshes with a gear wheel 7 on a shaft 8 on which is a worm wheel 9 meshing with a worm 10 on the spindle 11 of the separator bowl 12. This mechanism is a well-known mechanism, and its operation needs no further description here. It is sufficient to say that the train of gears is so proportioned as to give the desired speed to the separator bowl at a given number of revolutions of the shaft 2, and that being determined, the mechanism for sounding the alarm is arranged to become effective in a way to indicate the loss of speed or lack of speed.

In the embodiment of the invention herein shown, an arm 13 is eccentrically pivoted at 14 to the web of the gear wheel 6, and its outer free end extends toward the periphery motion between two pins or stops 16 and 16 fastened in the web of the gear'wheel 6 at such distances from the axis of shaft 5 as to arrest the movement of the arm upon the rotating gear wheel. The points of contact between the arm 18 and the pins 16 and 16 may be deadened by any suitable means, such as the cushion or cushions 17 carried by the arm. The arm 13 freely plays by gravity between the pins 16 and 16 when the speed is less than the desired speed, and in going from pin 16 to pin 16 as indicated by dotted lines Fig. 1, it presents its pin 15 in the path of a pin 18 on the bell crank or lever 19 which carries the bell hammer 20 of the bell 21. The bell may be mounted on any suitable portion of the frame of the machine, preferably on the outside. When the pin 15 strikes the pin 18 the bellhammer is actuated to sound the bell, and the bell will be sounded as long as the pin 15 comes into contact with its actuating lever, but as soon as the normal speed is attained then centrifugal action will hold the arm 13 against the stop pin 16 and thusprevent its pin 15 from coming into the path of the pin 18 and actuating the bell.

As already stated, so long as the bell rings it will be notice to the operator that normal speed has not been attained, and consequently the operator willincrease the speed by more rapidly turning the crank 1, until the bell no longer rings, and he will thereafter maintain the speed at that rate, although no material harm will follow from a speed in excess of normalsp'eed within reasonable limits easily observable by the operator or any one familiar with the desired product of themachine.

As shown in Fig; '1, the hammer or clapper mechanism is held in proper position to be engaged by the centrifugally operated arm by means of a spring 22, although of course any equivalent mechanism may be used for this purpose.

. In the case of centrifugal cream separators turned by hand, a certain number of revolutions of the crank are necessary to give the bowl exactly the right number of revolutions to obtain an efficient and economical separation of the fluid under treatment, and in order-to obtain this desired speed, the operator turns the I crank, and while the bell sounds there is indicated a speed below normal, and he therefore continues to increase the number of turns of the crank until the bell ceases sounding, and then he knows that the desired speed has been attained. As

already stated, a little higher speed does no harm, while a speed lower than that desired is at once made known by the ringing of the bell. 1

Variations in details of construction and arrangement to suit the character of machine on which the indicator is used, arepermissible within the principle of the invention and thescope of the claims herein made.

What I claim is V 1. A speed indicator, comprising a rotat- .ingmember, a centrifugal arm eccentrically .upon by said arm when the speed of the rotatingmember is below normal so as to sound the alarm and to be free of such action when the speed attained is at or above normal.

2. A speed indicator, comprising a rotating member, a centrifugal arm pivotally mounted on said member and having a gravitating motion between stops onsaid member, and an audible alarm having its sounding mechanism interposed in the path of movement of the centrifugal arm and adapted to be acted upon by said arm when the speed of the rotating member is below normal and tobe free of such action when the speed attained is at or above-normal.

3. A speed indicator, comprising a rotating member, a centrifugal arm pivotally mounted on said member, stops on said member to limit the pivotal movement of said arm, and an audible alarm having its sounding mechanism interposed in thepath of movement of the centrifugal arinand adapted to be acted upon'by said arm when the speed of the rotating member is below normal' and to be free ofsuch action when ,the speed attained is at or above normal.

t. A speed indicator, comprising a rotary member, an arm pivotally mounted on said member and having a restricted path of movement thereon, L11Cl'ElJrELUd1bl6 alarm provided. with a lever pro ect1'ng 1nto the path of movement. of said pivoted arm and adapted to be engaged .by said arm when the rotation of the rotary member isl ess than normal and to be free of'engagement thierewith when the speed of the rotary member is at or above normal. I U I In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my7hand this fourth day of October, A. D. 191

v SAMUEL LESLIE BENNETT. Witnesses: V p

jJ. SJLA GWILL,

M. J. PIKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of new,

Washington, I). G. 

